Guardian
by EternalAmaterasu
Summary: When Maes and Gracia die unexpectedly, their daughter is left in Roy's care. But Elicia's not the only one who's world is in pieces and Roy isn't so sure he can put it back together alone.


****This is a re-upload from my other account which I am unfortunately no longer able to use. I apologize to everyone who read and reviewed this piece when I uploaded it a week ago. If you could do so again, that'd be very much appreciated, if its not too much trouble. God bless you guys!****

**Inspired by the film, No Reservations. I've had this idea in my head for a while, thought I'd finally give it a go. This is only the prologue so please excuse the length. Future chapters will be longer - if you guys are interested in reading more, of course. Enjoy.**

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><p>Roy Mustang hung up the phone and leant back in his chair, sighing heavily.<p>

He glared at it for a few moments as if daring it to ring again, eyes narrowed and forehead creased. His expression held what some would call disdain, or what the people who knew him better might interpret as annoyance, or what his subordinates most often recognized as stress. Perhaps stress was the most reasonable elucidation, due to the nauseating mounts of paperwork littering his desk and events following his recent promotion to major general. But the few people who 'truly' knew Roy – of whom only his personal adjutant and first lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye, was with him in Central – knew that this expression of his was just a façade.

In all honesty, Roy loved the damn thing. Upon his transferral to Central six years ago he'd quickly discovered how subtly and brilliantly distracting it could be, not to mention useful. Through that phone he'd lead undercover operations and part-taken in battles without even having to leave his seat. It served as a rescue line from paperwork and brought some thrill to the boring day-by-day work in the office. And it enabled him to converse with the two most important people in his life in ways his military career otherwise deemed impossible.

During covert missions the tapped line gave him the excuse to flirt with his first lieutenant. Wait, let's back up a bit here… It allowed him to _disguise_ his conversations with Riza _via_ flirting, and – unbeknownst but seriously suspected by the rest of their team – slip in _actual_ flirting, which she would respond to with great avidity. The two officers would often create unspoken games out of frequent waiting periods and furtively compete over who could do best. This caused more suspicion and murmuring amongst subordinates, but of course no-one had the nerve to make any comment about such things to either commander.

While Riza's voice brought on excitement and every other positive emotion Roy could experience without her physically being in the room, Colonel Maes Hughes served as his aggravator, interrupting his progression through never-ending paperwork with unnecessary wife and daughter stories. But of course, this too was just another façade, as Roy hated paperwork more than anything, and he secretly loved hearing Maes boast about his family because it somewhat fed his unconscious sense of longing for his own.

After several minutes passed in which the phone remained silent, the major general gave an inward groan and turned back to his paperwork. His two second lieutenants snickered loudly at the tinge of red on his cheeks, and he mentally cursed Maes for his booming voice and parting sentence which had rang through loud enough for the entire office to hear.

_"I'm sorry, I just can't help it you know! And speaking of wives, Roy, I think it's long time you get-!"_ Unfortunately Roy hadn't been quick enough in slamming the phone down onto its receiver.

Second lieutenants Breda and Havoc eyed him with a sense of surprise when they didn't receive his usual kill-glare. But Roy just didn't have it in him to tell them off at that moment. He didn't have it in him to continue his paperwork either – not that that was unusual, but today he _especially_ didn't. This was because tonight for the first time in months he would get to see Maes, his beautiful wife, Gracia, and their adorable (and extremely spoilt – _"how could you NOT spoil an angel like her? It's my little Elicia!" _Maes would always gloat, flashing pictures in his face) nine year-old daughter. The Hughes family was on their way to visit him all the way from East City, it was the end of the week, and despite his paperwork, the day was looking great.

No-one could have foreseen the tragedy that brought Roy's entire world crashing down later that evening.

The time from morning to dusk was pretty cruisy. Some Ishvalan affairs to sort out, a bit of case work here and there, some information arriving about the southern border engaging in a light war against Creta – nothing out of the ordinary. Roy was half-asleep when his office phone rang for the fifth time. He glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling a mixture of relief and excitement at how late it was. Thankful for the interruption and reminder, he picked up, but immediately wished he hadn't when the receptionist's voice rang through.

"You have an urgent call from the hospital, General."

Roy's heart skipped a beat. The _hospital?_ Something couldn't have happened to one of his men – they were all right here in the office apart from Riza who had the day off, but she would just be at her apartment. And no-one close to him was ill, not as far as he knew. There wouldn't be a need for the hospital to be calling him. Especially not _urgently-_

"Put it through," he heard himself saying, and in the next few seconds he felt his knees buckle and he was clutching his desk for support. His subordinates looked up with concern, ceasing their work. But he was out of the office and a fair way down the hall before they could ask what was wrong.

The next half hour was a blur. The drive was hazy and Roy barely noticed what was happening as his legs moved of their own accord, racing through mazes of white corridors past rooms identical to each other, and smears of people garbed in light blue. He was at the reception desk, out of breath from running or shock – he couldn't quite tell which – when realization began to force its way into his mind. He reached the third floor and stood outside the door of the ward for a few moments, trying to recompose himself. She was _okay,_ the nurses had said. No critical condition, no broken limbs, no internal bleeding, she just needed _rest._ But it still didn't stop the panic when he saw her. Maes' beautiful little princess lying there in a blue hospital robe with multiple stitches across her forehead and cheeks, arms covered in bandages.

"Elicia," he breathed, rushing towards her sleeping form. She was lying on her side, her hand curled next to her face. She looked older, and was probably a decent amount taller than when he had last seen her – it had been almost two years after all – but in that baggy hospital gown she looked so small, so fragile. He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and gently placed his hand over hers. He watched her face. She looked exhausted, but seemed to be having an uneasy sleep, her brow crinkling as though she was in deep thought. She probably was, in deeper thought than him anyway. His brain was just… numb.

"Roy Mustang?"

The voice sent a flood of dread through his body. It was the deep voice that had brought him the news in his office, the voice that had turned his world upside-down. He stiffly straightened up and made his way outside the door to greet him.

"I'm doctor Lange. We spoke on the phone."

The man paused, and Roy looked back at him dully. What was he supposed to say back? _"Nice to meet you." _It wasn't. _"How do you do?" _He didn't care. He said nothing.

But Lange didn't seem to be waiting for a reply. He was studying Roy's face, his expression solemn. "She's going to be fine," he tried to sound reassuring. His words were everything _but _reassuring. But they were true. And they were false. She wasn't going to be fine, not _inside._

"Has anyone told her yet?" Roy finally found the strength to speak. His voice was surprisingly calm.

"We… thought it would be best if she hears it from someone in the family."

"She has none," he said dryly. Both Maes and Gracia's parents were no longer alive. Maes had been an only child, and Gracia had a sister living somewhere in Xing with her own family. But their relations weren't close. Roy doubted Elicia had even met her aunt.

Lange hesitated. "You're her godfather… Perhaps, if…" he trailed off. There was no need to finish his sentence.

Roy nodded, his expression dull. Her godfather… Maes and Gracia had named him her godfather when they'd first found out they were having a daughter. He'd agreed to that role, proudly, without hesitation, but he never thought it would come to _this_… He was…

It hit him.

He was the closest person to family she now had. The _only_ family.

"I'm so sorry."

Lange's words were too distant for him to hear, and his body was too numb to respond to the comforting squeeze on his shoulder. The doctor gave him a final consoling look, then removed his hand and returned to his duties, leaving Roy in the corridor. He left him standing outside the dark ward, frozen, paralyzed, _alone._

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><p><em>TBC<em>

**Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.**


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